2022 is within the books for the Final Preventing Championship.
UFC Vegas 66, additionally titled as UFC Battle Night time 216, passed off Saturday, December seventeenth from the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada. The occasion was the promotion’s forty second occasion of the 12 months and the final occasion till their return for the brand new 12 months on January 14th.
Again-and-forth it went within the night time’s featured primary occasion as Jared Cannonier edged out a break up determination victory over Sean Strickland. Regardless of not being an exciting finale followers had hoped for, the night time didn’t go absent of highlights.
5 finishes got here all through UFC Vegas 66 together with 4 to open the ESPN+ primary card. Two of these got here by knockout within the first spherical with Michal Oleksiejczuk and Alex Caceres seeing their hand raised over their revered opponents. Light-weight octagon veterans Drew Dober and Bobby Inexperienced battled to a “Battle of the Night time” regardless of the struggle coming to an finish solely midway into the second spherical. Rafa Garcia noticed his opponent miss weight and overcame a cut artery leading to an extremely bloody finish to safe a unanimous determination win. 29-year-olds Amir Albazi and Manel Kape added to their rising resumes as they sit simply outdoors the highest 5 ranks at flyweight. Moscow, Russia’s Rinat Fakhretdinov discovered his sixteenth straight skilled victory in solely his second UFC look.
Some large fights could possibly be subsequent from these victorious over the weekend. What’s going to the longer term maintain for our opponents as the brand new 12 months brings new faces and new challenges? Listed below are 5 fights to make after UFC Vegas 66: Cannonier vs. Strickland.
5. Michal Oleksiejczuk vs. Chris Curtis
Solely seconds of the struggle had been spent on the ft, however it didn’t stop middleweight Michal Oleksiejczuk from incomes a brutal knockout. A place reversal adopted by ground-and-pound led to his three-minute and 16-second end over Cody Brundage. Oleksiejczuk has gained 4 of his final 5 with a choice defeat in March to Dustin Jacoby; his final struggle within the mild heavyweight division.
In Oleksiejczuk’s post-fight interview, he referred to as out a victor from final weekend’s UFC 282 occasion: Chris Curtis, who had completed off Joaquin Buckley with a second-round knockout. After dropping three straight below the Skilled Fighter League banner, Curtis turned his total profession round with ten wins in his final eleven fights. He now sits throughout the prime fifteen at 185 kilos proving doubters incorrect after his 2018 Contender Collection efficiency didn’t lead to a UFC contract.
Curtis responded on Twitter with a two-word response to Oleksiejczuk’s callout. The easy resolution: we most positively must see this pairing quickly.
4. Alex Caceres vs. Edson Barboza
Saturday’s twenty seventh octagon look for Alex Caceres might have been his most notable to this point. Simply three minutes into the primary spherical, a flush head-kick landed to the top of Julian Erosa forcing a cease to the competition. Identified merely as “Bruce Leeroy,” the unorthodox expertise has had six victories since July of 2019 with solely a unanimous determination loss to Sodiq Yusuff earlier this 12 months. The Final Fighter: Crew GSP vs. Crew Koscheck veteran’s end was his first by the use of knockout in almost 13 years, excluding his 2017 physician stoppage win over Rolando Dy.
A fighter trying to rebound is Edson Barboza who has not returned to struggle since his March determination defeat to Bryce Mitchell. It was his second loss in-a-row having additionally a primary occasion knockout loss to Giga Chikadze in August of final 12 months. The harmful striker, recognized for his well-rounded standup arsenal, has completed 13 of his 22 victories by knockout together with three with the utilization of his trademark leg kicks.
5 rounds would have all of the makings of one thing memorable for these two long-time opponents. If Barboza stays within the featherweight class, have he and Caceres meet within the UFC Apex round April.
WHAT A KICK FROM BRUCE LEEROY 😮 #UFCVegas66 pic.twitter.com/Kc1eEuchvB
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) December 18, 2022
3. Drew Dober vs. Jalin Turner
Two fan-favorites certain delivered within the occasion’s “Battle of the Night time.” Drew Dober overcame velocity, harm, and accuracy from Bobby Inexperienced to discover a second-round knockout. It was the Elevation Battle Crew notable’s third win and third of the calendar 12 months having further knockout finishes over Terrance McKinney in March and Rafael Alves in July. Saturday marked Dober’s twentieth UFC struggle since November of 2013.
One other post-fight callout of the night time noticed Dober ask for a 2023 pairing with tenth-ranked Jalin Turner. Regardless of not securing a contract in 2018 on Dana White’s Contender Collection, Turner in the end bought his shot and has since gone 6-2 with the promotion. The 27-year-old continues to climb up the divisional ranks at 155 kilos using a five-fight ending streak internet hosting 2022 wins over Jamie Mullarkey by knockout and Brad Riddell by guillotine choke.
Each Dober and Turner mix for a victorious ending fee of 82% (Dober at 73%, Turner at 100%). What a sensational struggle this might become?
2. Jared Cannonier vs. Dricus du Plessis
Middleweights Jared Cannonier and Sean Strickland caught to fundamentals within the UFC Vegas 66 featured headliner. 5 tightly-contested rounds of technical placing methods and clinch-work noticed Cannonier take two of three choose’s scorecards. His win over Strickland was his first struggle again after a unanimous determination defeat for the middleweight championship to Israel Adesanya in July. The MMA Lab athlete noticed a win earlier within the 12 months over Derek Brunson which marked his tenth knockout in his skilled profession. Cannonier continues to face nothing in need of a contender since dropping down a weight class in 2018.
One other victorious fighter from UFC 282 was that of South Africa’s Dricus du Plessis. The 28-year-old rides a six-fight win streak together with all 4 of his UFC conferences and his two this 12 months over Brad Tavares in July and Darren Until final week. As a former two-divisional Excessive FC champion and KSW middleweight champion, du Plessis has the top expertise as he continues to climb up the UFC ranks.
Final weekend, du Plessis was featured in our “Fights to Make” for a pairing with Marvin Vettori. That, nevertheless, won’t be the case as Vettori was simply introduced to struggle Roman Dolidze at UFC 286 in March. With du Plessis on the rise and Cannonier possible not but in place for an additional title shot, a matchup between the 2 fighters comes on the good time. A five-round, “Battle Night time” headliner would give Cannonier one other probability to make a powerful assertion as du Plessis could be awarded his first featured headliner.
A break up determination to shut the 12 months!
Jared Cannonier ending 2022 with an enormous win on his resume #UFCVegas66 pic.twitter.com/W4vk6oZS3v
— UFC (@ufc) December 18, 2022
1. Arman Tsarukyan vs. Charles Oliveira
At simply 26 years of age, Arman Tsarukyan is displaying he’s hear for the lengthy haul. The Grasp of Sport in each MMA and freestyle wrestling used leg kicks, takedowns, and positional management to outwork Damir Ismagulov via virtually all of their fifteen minute struggle. Ismagulov’s 19-fight win streak was snapped because the win for Tsarukyan averted two straight defeats following a debatable five-round determination loss in June to Mateusz Gamrot.
Tsarukyan’s solely different defeat within the octagon got here towards Islam Makhachev in his April of 2019 UFC debut. Final October, Makhachev took the vacant UFC light-weight championship over Charles Oliveira by arm-triangle within the second spherical. Oliveira had been on an unbelievable late-career stretch of 11 victories together with a run as champion till being stripped of the title after lacking weight for his Might pairing towards Justin Gaethje. Nonetheless, the Brazilian stays one of many biggest holding quite a few UFC information together with essentially the most finishes and most submissions in promotional historical past.
It might be laborious to disclaim something in need of a prime contender subsequent for Tsarukyan, and Oliveira shall be hungry for a profitable return (at any time when that could be). A headlining occasion or perhaps a five-round, co-main occasion on a pay-per-view is simply what we want if these two are slated towards one another subsequent.
Who’s subsequent? 👊🏼 pic.twitter.com/BeJf0Z0zoJ
— Arman Tsarukyan UFC (@ArmanUfc) December 18, 2022
ADDITIONAL SUGGESTIONS:
Sean Strickland vs. Anthony Hernandez
Amir Albazi vs. Brandon Royval
Cory McKenna vs. Michelle Waterson-Gomez
Matthew Semelsberger vs. Michael Chiesa
Stated Nurmagomedov vs. Rob Font
Rafa Garcia vs. Ignacio Bahamondes
Rinat Fakhretdinov vs. Gunnar Nelson
Manel Kape vs. Kai Kara-France / Alex Perez winner
Sergey Morozov vs. Davey Grant
— CLICK HERE FOR UFC VEGAS 66 RESULTS —
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